You’ve heard it before: It’s not about what you know; it’s about who you know.

When you’re looking for a new job, an often-overlooked route is through your weak social ties. Yes, your family and best friend of 10 years will be more eager to help than a friend of a friend, an old acquaintance or a former classmate. But because the people you spend the most time with often share similar experiences, they tend not to have different leads or ideas than you do.

It may be hard to believe, but getting your weak social ties involved can actually offer you more assistance in your job hunt. Because they don’t run in the same circles as you or share a common set of interests, they are more likely to know about opportunities that you are not aware of — or wouldn’t have even thought to consider — that you could be a great fit for you.

You don’t always have to schmooze to build your weak ties. You can make an impact by simply creating and maintaining a personal brand. Are you active on social media? Do you share memorable, valuable information on LinkedIn? Do you attend social gatherings and networking events? If so, your weak social ties will take notice, even if you aren’t talking on a regular basis.

Maintaining an array of distant connections in this manner opens up more windows to new employment opportunities. If your weak tie hears about an employment opportunity through a colleague that they believe is suitable for you, they will be more likely to throw your name into the conversation. This can be particularly useful in finding jobs outside of your current industry.

None of this is not to say that you shouldn’t continue to foster the close relationships you have. Instead, think of your weak social ties as integral tools for strengthening your overall social network. Do your part in engaging with them so that they consider you an asset to their social network as well — because, who knows, they could just help you land your next big job.

This article was written by Megan Santos of Jobpostings.ca, Canada’s largest student job network helping post-secondary students find their internships, co-ops and entry-level jobs to launch their careers. Follow them @Jobpostingsca